better camera app?

Is there a better camera app? i ended up at an event this weekend. I didn't have my camera with me so I was stuck to using my iPhone 4's camera. The only problem I have had with it is when I am in a shaded area looking out to at brightly lighted areas.

Example 1.
At a concert/event with stage. When taking a pic of what is going on, on the stage the stage lights wash out what is going on, on stage.

Example 2.
I am trying to take a picture of someone standing in shade like a Gazebo. I am standing in the shade and they are in the shade. I looking out with them in front of me. I take the picture and... it's all dark because light out side.

Hope that helps explain things. I know it's not a Camera, camera. but it a pinch it is there to snap a picture.

Which iPhone do you have? Which iOS is running on your phone? If you're running iOS4 on a 3GS or iPhone 4, you can tap anywhere on the screen to have the camera focus and set exposure for that area. Camera plus is a paid app that allows you to tap to focus on one area and tap on another to set exposure for that second area.

In low light situations you'll never get a decent shot without a flash. This goes for most camera phones. My wife has a Blackberry that has a flash and even with that, unless she's on top the subject, the small LED flash doesn't do much good. Most of those 3rd party camera apps do the same thing you can do on your computer to enhance the photo, eg.. adds fill light, adjusts lightness & contrast. I even laugh at those people that buy one of those camera apps that proclaim adding zoom capabilities! All they do is crop the picture, same as you can do on iphone or on computer. Digital zoom (cropping) only adds noise to the photo.

The only way to get a decent low light picture is to have a very steady hand and make sure the subject does not move.

What I find with the iPhone 4 is that if you tap the display you'll notice the lighting on the camera change. I've taken some pretty decent pictures in low light times, but you must do as I said. Not sure why it does this. Usually I tap at the bottom of the display. Then you'll see the screen lighten up.

This also works in very bright conditions where it seems like the objects are very dark.